Hurricane Sandy: sanity vs vanity — Nizamuddin Nizamani

	Monday, November 12, 2012

 

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?date=11/12/2012 10:55:30 AM

 

VIEW : Hurricane Sandy: sanity vs vanity — Nizamuddin Nizamani

We must express solidarity with all mankind without any consideration of faith, caste and creed and must pray that no natural calamity hits anywhere

The disastrous hurricane Sandy, the worst natural calamity of recent history, hit the East Coast of North America, and left deep scars not only on the landscape but also on the minds and memories of those who had been hit the worst and suffered the post-storm consequences too.

This natural calamity once again exposed the vulnerability of mankind as a whole against the mighty power of nature. It also proved the warnings about climatic change and rising temperatures because of indiscriminate industrialisation given by the former US vice president Al Gore through his documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The film implored the US and other industrial nations to minimise carbon emissions, being lethal to mother earth by depleting its Ozone layer, which may cause unwanted storms, snowfalls or prolonged famines.

The US government warned the public in advance regarding all the potential risks that the human brain and supporting equipment could possibly forecast and advised the coastal population to take all possible measures to avoid loss of life and collateral damage, illustrating the security measures, with storing of food and other stuff for weeks to come. The death toll, nonetheless, went to more than 150 and the collateral damage to around $ 20 billion.

This catastrophe, however, revealed the institutional strength, the state-of-the-art capability of the federal, state and city governments to face such a crisis and their capacity to manage and handle it peacefully without chaos and consternation. It also showed the collective character of American society to absorb such shocks and its aftermaths, which they would be facing for many months and even years to come.

After the storm subsided, people suffered with a remarkable patience, without electricity, heating, power, food for a week. Some reportedly waited at an average more than 20 hours in queues at gas stations to buy gasoline, without panic, without queue jumping or any kind of bickering or fights. People reportedly opened their homes for the neighbors in need; they served them and shared all available stuff during the critical moments.

Perseverance and resilience of the Americans is yet to be ascertained but the presidential election on November 6, 2012, with people behaving normally, proved that they had absorbed the shock of the hurricane, came out to vote and, surprisingly, the majority voted for Barack Obama, who stood beside them during the critical time. Americans on the East Coast also demonstrated socio-communal and interfaith harmony during the painful moments.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away a large number of people in the Muslim world prayed for the safety of the population targeted by the storm. However, a small number, unfortunately, is reported to have rejoiced on the loss and projected it to be the wrath of God Almighty for the political, economic and military policies of the USA. In particular, the emphasis was on the one American citizen for making the blasphemous movie about the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), thus revealing the intellectual bankruptcy prevailing in some segments of Muslim society.

Social media was inundated with surprising expressions from some Muslim clerics wherein they tried to portray enjoying special kind of relations and communication with God, as if God through Sandy hit the US on their behest for the so-called anti-Muslim policies. Looking at God as partisan, they naively attempted the shrinking and limiting the domain of God from being the God of the Universe to the God of Muslims (From Rab-ul-Aalmeen to Rab-ul-Muslimeen).

One wonders if we believe their version of Islam and if God had been (God forbid) biased in favour of Muslims and against people of other religions, particularly the US, then why did natural calamities/earthquakes and tsunamis hit Indonesia (the world’s largest Muslim country), Bangladesh (a Muslim majority country), Turkey, Iran (anti-America) and particularly Pakistan? The devastating Quetta earthquake on May 31, 1935 killed 60,000, windstorms on December 15, 1965 killed 10,000, the Hunza earthquake on December 28, 1974 killed 5,300 and floods in Hunza in June 1977 killed 10,354 and rendered one million homeless. The earthquake in Muzaffarabad Azad Kashmir (having a large number of madrassas) on October 8, 2005 killed 78,000 and displaced 2.5 million. And the floods in July/August 2010 damaged half of Pakistan and affected 20 million people. Interestingly, the USA and other western countries (non-Muslims), stood by Pakistan and provided a big chunk of relief support, including food, medicines, etc. Since 2009, just USAID has provided assistance worth $ 2.8 billion to Pakistan apart from other military support.

Such natural disasters have also hit Japan and other countries that do not have animosity with the Muslim world and have mild political stances. North Korea and Ethiopia, despite being anti-US, have been hit by prolonged famines.

The argument of such radically fossilized minds does not carry weight. In case it was the wrath of God over the blasphemous movie, Sandy would not have struck the East Coast, where no one had anything to do with it. The worst hit areas in Pennsylvania also include Muslim neighbourhoods with many mosques too. And if that storm was meant to punish the US, why did it also hit Cuba, a staunch anti-US country, and Canada with a large Muslim population? And what did the people of Bhopal in India do against Muslims, where hundreds of thousands were harmed by the leakage of lethal poisonous gas in the Union Carbide plant?

In case such Islamic clerics had a special influence on decision making with God, their hue and cry against the policies of Israel might have forced natural calamities to hit Israel; that did not happen and we see Israel has been safe from any major natural disaster so far.

We must express solidarity with all mankind without any consideration of faith, caste and creed and must pray that no natural calamity hits anywhere. In case a storm of Sandy’s potency was to strike Pakistan without mangrove cover and forests, the powerful winds and sea would have no resistance and might have literally razed the entire population of Gwadar, Pasni, Jewani, Ormara, Gaddani, Karachi, Thatta and Badin for lack of a warning system and rescue facilities, and human loss would have been many millions.

Muslim society must sit for an ijtehad in consultation with all sects and groups. It must come up with the collective wisdom, principals and norms of co-existence with people of other religions and faiths based on the learning of the holy books to ensure a sustainable world worth living in. It must play an active role to be an integral part of the international community, otherwise if we allow narrow-mindedness to grow further, we are bound to be further isolated and stuck in stagnancy, which thinking minds can ill afford. Let us hope sanity prevails over vanity.

The writer is a multilingual writer, researcher, peace activist, professional trainer in management, development, co-existence and conflicts, democracy and leadership/soft skills. He can be reached at nizambaloch@gmail.com

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VIEW: Post-Osama Pakistan —Nizamuddin Nizamani

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C05%5C11%5Cstory_11-5-2011_pg3_6

The crisis stands as being pathetically mishandled. The ruling elite in Pakistan seems to be busy in the blame game and shifting of responsibility. The civilian government is giving the pretext of being in power for only three years and is blaming the Musharraf regime and its predecessors.
A prolonged global, religio-political and strategically mind-boggling suspense drama reached its natural climax a week back but has left a mixed impression in the East and West. People in the US celebrated and took a sigh of relief, while in the Muslim world a mixed reaction was seen. The people of Pakistan seemed shocked at the very presence of Osama bin Laden on their soil on the one hand and the surprisingly sophisticated operation to kill him on the other. Although some people take this as the end of a violent era, the modus operandi of the American operation and either the unwillingness or the incapability of the Pakistani forces inside the heart of the military garrison town, have caused some level of demoralisation, sense of insecurity and disillusionment about the defence of the country. Pakistanis as a whole were very proud of the defence forces for the perpetual claims and heroic stories narrated regarding the three wars with India, credit for the dismemberment of the Soviet Union and the acquiring of the much celebrated Hatf, Ghauri and Shaheen missiles with the epitome of their success being the development of nuclear weapons.

Although the drone attacks were initially criticised in the media, in the end the public was successfully convinced to be silent as they were projected as strategic cooperation with the US. The complacent patriotic public was literally shocked by what happened on May 1, 2011. Some still wishfully take it as a farce based on the lack of evidence, live videos and dead body, and consider it as one face saving strategy by the US to pull out of Afghanistan. But those knowing the gravity of the situation, after the Osama debacle, are not worried about the Abbottabad operation but its aftershocks, resulting in many revelations that have been exposed due to the commando operation.

Mindful people in Pakistan are worried about what is in store for this country and how it is going to affect their lives. They know it does not augur well.

The crisis stands as being pathetically mishandled. The ruling elite in Pakistan seems to be busy in the blame game and shifting of responsibility. The civilian government is giving the pretext of being in power for only three years and is blaming the Musharraf regime and its predecessors. Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, has not defended Pakistan. Opportunistic anchors and media channels, that supported jihad and praised Osama bin Laden in his heyday, disowned him after his death and instead presented derogatory remarks to exonerate themselves.

There is no denying the fact that bin Laden could not have taken refuge without the tacit approval of individuals within powerful echelons for either money or spiritual loyalty to Osama’s philosophy. Now the one million dollar question is: what should our future strategy be to compensate for the trust deficit created with the international community?

Primarily, religious education must be transformed. Religion taught civilisation but, unfortunately, religious beliefs ended up as being the single factor of rift and division among mankind. Its misinterpretation has created fanaticism and intolerance, lethal for coexistence. The Muslim youth has been brainwashed to do away with the present life, treat it as worthless and instead prepare for life in the hereafter. The easy shortcut to paradise is jihad and becoming a martyr with a guaranteed passport to heaven. This kind of indoctrination should be banned and the state should ensure modern education to such groups.

Secondly, there seems to be a dire need for ijtihad (religious discourse and debate), on many Quranic ayaat (verses) and ahadith (sayings of the Prophet (PBUH)) prone to misinterpretation. The clergy has been selective while interpreting a few ayaat and ahadith in the background of time and space but ignoring the parameters of others. They allow Muslim males to marry Christian or Jewish females as being ahl-e-kitab (followers of the divine books). Simultaneously, they emphasise that yahood-o-nasara (Jews and Christians) are the archenemies of Islam. They do not consider the time and space of such sayings. They do not press the Prophet’s (PBUH) teachings such as “Lakum deenukum waliya deen” (unto you is your religion and unto me is my religion). A political will can reverse this process, as whenever the state planned and took the clergy onboard, they came out with the required ayaat and ahadith to serve the collective purpose — population and drug controls are good examples.

Third, the electronic media must be regulated to filter out hate speech and indoctrination through provocation. The Hamid Gul brand of think tanks should be advised to retire for good. They should go for perpetual prayers to prepare for the life hereafter. Fourth, the defence forces should be purged of alleged disgruntled individuals, and they should be respectfully retired to civilian life, away from sensitive strategic decision-making. Fifth, those who believe in peace and coexistence should not be blamed as being enemy agents and, instead, should be taken onboard in decision-making. Sixth, the perpetual fallacy that Pakistan is in danger from external enemies must be shunned. We need to repair our home. Dangers lie within, not outside. Prolonged issues and conflicts with religious and ethnic minorities must be addressed with a mindful strategy. Lastly, we need to unlearn our sense of superiority and learn to live and let live in peace with all countries including Afghanistan, Iran, the US, India and even Israel. Otherwise, we are bound to be either isolated and in trouble from vengeful forces or land in the morass of self-pity for good.

The writer holds a master’s degree in social sciences and is a professional trainer, researcher and peace activist. He may be reached at nizambaloch@gmail.com

VIEW: Democracy and addressing public issues —Nizamuddin Nizamani

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C04%5C01%5Cstory_1-4-2011_pg3_3

VIEW: Democracy and addressing public issues —Nizamuddin Nizamani

Inflation, price hike, electricity load shedding and the extreme energy crisis all seem to be worsening day by day but, unfortunately, the media is too busy with cricket and a debate over the legitimacy of the release of Raymond Davis, utterly ignoring issues faced by the poor masses

As part of the volatile political scenario in Pakistan of late, we have witnessed a growing number of protests by the masses, especially by specific organisations, demanding the implementation of different promises and pledges committed by the coalition government in Islamabad in general and Sindh in particular.

The protesters have been demanding an increase in minimum wages, as announced by the federal government, e.g. for the lady health workers (LHV), implementation of agreed negotiations for the Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association (SPLA) and an increase in wages for the lower staff of the education department. These protests have, unfortunately, been responded to with violence, baton charging, tear gas and mass arrests. The provincial governments in Sindh and Punjab are crushing every agitation and registering cases against the peaceful protesters under the Terrorism Act. They might be afraid of the revolutions being led by the people in the Arab world. Hunger strikes in front of the press clubs in big cities are the order of the day. Bankers associations and the families of missing persons dominate the screen. However, all that hue and cry seems to be falling on deaf ears.

The SPLA demands a time scale at par with other provinces as negotiated and agreed to by the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Mr Ghulam Ali Pasha, and Ms Sharmila Farooqi, who was then the advisor to the chief minister of Sindh, on November 11, 2010. However, the government reportedly backed out. The SPLA was compelled to press for the demand peacefully but the government crushed their protests with water guns, injured senior male and female professors, arrested 36 professors and vengefully transferred 412 professors to far-flung areas. The lower staff in the education department met with a similar fate. The teaching community blames the minister for education who they cite as being stubborn and involved in malpractices. The teachers’ demands seem to be parked at the Secretariat due to the wrangling between the secretary and minister for education.

Lady health workers demanding minimum wages were brutally treated and baton charged, and 180 of them were arrested. Surprisingly, one coach full of lady health workers and their innocent children was hijacked by police on March 25 and directly taken to Sukkur Central Jail instead of some women’s police station.

On the other hand, the law and order situation has become abysmal in the interior as well as urban centres. The writ of the state seems to be nowhere. Only during March, 190 people fell victim to the latest wave of target killings in Karachi. In Balochistan, target-killing victims are common people, the central command of Baloch nationalist parties and young students, specifically from the Balochistan National Party, which is the Mengal group. The people’s government has shocked people by adopting the violent and oppressive tactics they themselves suffered during dictatorial regimes.

Inflation, price hike, electricity load shedding and the extreme energy crisis all seem to be worsening day by day but, unfortunately, the media is too busy with cricket and a debate over the legitimacy of the release of Raymond Davis, utterly ignoring issues faced by the poor masses. Despite having a few major and macro political achievements like the NFC Award, end of the 17th Amendment and introduction of the 18th Amendment, the people’s government seems to have failed in delivering on micro-economic issues.

The PPP leadership used to complain that, in the past, they were not given enough time to deliver on their promises and were ousted after the completion of just two years. In the beginning of their current tenure, they kept imploring the people to wait and allow some time to the government for sustainable development. What should the public expect after the completion of three years of their current tenure?

Dr Marvin Weinbaum, Scholar-in-Residence at the Middle East Institute, a think-tank based in Washington, and an expert on Pakistan, opines that the coalition government in Pakistan is not addressing public issues. This supports the arguments of the pro-military school of thought, which says that democracy in Pakistan cannot deliver and that the naïve politicians waste time and resources either by internecine conflicts or fall prey to the artful bureaucracy. He does not believe in the negotiations made among coalition partners to continue with the process until and unless they address the overriding issues, as without this the whole process seems worthless. He bemoans that, apart from Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, there has been no collectively acceptable leadership in Pakistan. For a brief period, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appeared as a leader but, after him, our leaders have a limited pocket following; as a whole, the Pakistani public seems leaderless. He argues that the people reaching the power corridors in Pakistan, from Ayub Khan to Yahya, Zulfikar Bhutto to Generals Zia and Musharraf, all start believing that they are indispensable. He warns of grim consequences in case democracy fails to deliver. He does not support any rapid change being invoked by some sectors, impressed by the political upheavals in the Middle East. He says that because of different circumstances, the situation can very easily be hijacked by illiberal elements in Pakistan. He recommends choosing competent people who enjoy the support of the masses, and that they be made accountable to the same public.

Three years are enough proof and the public craves the fulfilment of the thousands of promises and rosy pictures that were presented to them during the election process.

We need to support the democratic process, we need to make it accountable and address the macro and micro issues of public relevance for the literal survival of the citizenry. A namesake democracy breeds only new generations of dictators who might already be waiting in the wings.

The writer holds a master’s degree in social sciences and is a professional trainer, researcher and peace activist. He may be contacted at nizambaloch@gmail.com

SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE SECURITY CRISIS: RESEARCH REPORT BY SPDC

Social Policy Development Center, Karachi launched its Social Development in Pakistan Annual Review 2009-10 on March 5, 2011 at Hotel Avari Towers in Karachi.

The report was launched in a simple but decent gathering of diplomats, academics, scholars, researchers, representatives from Nonprofit organizations, intelligentsia  and concerned citizens including  electronic and print media.

Mr. Javed Jabar Member Board of Directors presided the session and Dr Khalida Ghous, Managing Director presented the gist on the findings of the report.

The report is based on post 9/11 situation in Pakistan and how the people of Pakistan have been paying  the cost of interfering in Afghanistan. The report comprehensively touches the contextualizing the security situation of Pakistan, relevant theories, the making of the problem, system failures etc. Chapter on Impact of the war on terror on the economy,  meticulously touches governance indicators, state of the economy and economic cost of war on terror. The findings are mind boggling.

 Fiscal impacts of the security crisis incorporate appalling security related expenditures and downsizing of public expenditures and pro poor spending.

Social development during security crisis shows how people in conflict ridden areas have been deprived of basic education, food, drinking water and health facilities.

The report has particularly pinpointed situation in Khaiber Pukhtoonn Kuwah province as prime target of terrorism. Impact of conflict on household and response of civil society  states  peoples’ response to situation.

The audience highly appreciated the publication of research report but some also pinpointed the missing factors that must have been incorporated.

The report is loaded with valuable statistics and data and reveals alarming situation. The report seems highly valuable single document available on the situation and is a worth refereeing document by all the stakeholders in Pakistan as well as by those people in other parts of the worlds who are interested in Pakistan.

Regarding Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC) provides decision makers in the government, private sector and civil society organizations with a multi-disciplinary approach towards issues of development and growth. A non-profit, policy research center established in April 1995 as a limited company based in Karachi, SPDC has made significant intellectual contribution in placing issues of pro-poor growth and social development on Pakistan's policy-making agenda.

Being an independent and non-partisan research organization, SPDC collaborates and cooperates with organizations working on issues relevant to its mandate both at home and abroad. It determines its own agenda and has successfully maintained its independence and a balance between responsive and proactive social sector research. The main areas identified for research by SPDC are: poverty, inequality, governance, provincial finances, social sector policies, gender issues and macroeconomic policy issues. Having established its credibility, SPDC is considered as one of the outstanding research policy institutions of Pakistan focusing on public policy analyses and social sector development. Ref:http://www.spdc.org.pk

VIEW: Religious intolerance: Pakistan vs the US —Nizamuddin Nizamani

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\03\08\story_8-3-2011_pg3_6

By: Nizamuddin Nizamani

There is a popular understanding in Pakistan that Muslims are victimised in the US. However, many Muslims in the US would appreciate the moral and other support from individuals with Jewish and Christian backgrounds

The brutal killing of Mr Shahbaz Bhatti, federal minister for minorities, on March 2, 2011, in Islamabad in a terror attack reminds us of a similar incident that took the life of late Salmaan Taseer, the vocal and bold governor of Punjab, both preaching tolerance and coexistence among the followers of different faiths in Pakistan. This incident illustrates the level of intolerance prevailing in the frustrated but lethally equipped extremist groups in our unfortunate country.
Pakistan’s constitution includes Islam as state religion and also provides for anti-blasphemy laws, prone to misinterpretation and misuse by the misguided elements that legitimise their heinous and violent activities, mostly aimed at settling their personal scores, in the name of sanctity of the faith. 
Interestingly therefore, most of the victims blamed for blasphemy have been Muslims, among them young women, accused by their revengeful opponents. In addition, the religious parties and groups combine the notion of guarding the sanctity of shariah with anti-western, mainly anti-American, rhetoric. We regularly hear the anti-American and anti-Jewish speeches on the streets.
In fact, the American constitution provides religion as individual choice and a private affair and de-linked from the state. European states and countries, after bitter experience of centuries, did away with theocracy. The Europeans suffered a lot at the hands of extremists controlling the church from 13th-15th century.
Rigid Muslim elements in Pakistan today are following the footprints of their Christian counterparts from the Middle Ages. However, during those days, enlightened Muslim mystics and Sufi saints preached and disseminated Islam through the message of love, peace, tolerance and coexistence. In the west, during the Middle Ages, innocent people, particularly women, were accused of being witches who worked for the devil. They were punished by being burnt alive. Protestants were also victimised and persecuted through such provisions. Heinrich Krammer and James Sprenger were empowered by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484 to prosecute witches throughout northern Germany. They wrote a book as witch-hunter’s manual titled Malleus Maleficarum (the Witches’ Hammer). It was written at the height of the witch-hunt mania during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It contained complete instructions on the prosecution of witches. Based on the proposed diagnostic symptoms in that manual, thousands of innocent people were burnt and killed in the name of upholding the sanctity of the religion.
Today Europe is different and so is the US, but we are still living in the Middle Ages. It is not that the west was always tolerant, but they learnt in the process that the narrow-mindedness and persecution was disastrous not only for their religion but also for mankind.
Muslim religious groups apparently play defensive and they think that the west, particularly the US, is bent upon destroying Islam and the Muslim world. They cite examples of military operations against many Muslim countries. There is no doubt that extremist and anti-Muslim elements still exist in the west and some Christian groups dominated by xenophobic whites would continue their hatred campaigns but their size and influence is limited. They are not mainstream and do not have much support from within their own communities. Vestiges of the Ku Klux Klan and its splinter groups are generally white racists and dislike everyone who is not white; they are not particularly anti-Muslim
A new maligning trend of presenting converts from Islam may be an artful attempt to poison the people against Islam and Muslims. Such activities are, however, exceptions, not the rule. Generally, people in the US are highly tolerant of each other and would not poke their nose in others’ affairs, come what may. Officially, the US constitution provides for the right to congregate and preservation of the religio-cultural practices to all the groups, provided those are not harmful or threatening to any other groups.
There is a popular understanding in Pakistan that Muslims are victimised in the US. However, many Muslims in the US would appreciate the moral and other support from individuals with Jewish and Christian backgrounds. In addition, many Jewish people would not support Israeli state policies.
Ironically, in our social fabric we have witnessed the breeding of fanaticism and extremism due to integration of religious conventions with backward tribal values that would otherwise be unacceptable in Islam. In ordinary seminaries, it is reported that in addition to religious, anti-Christian, anti-Jewish and anti-Hindu teachings are imparted through oral syllabi. In addition, indoctrination against different sects within Islam has brought us to this sorry state of affairs.
Islam is the second largest religion in the US and reports show that through sheer merit and struggle, a large number of Muslims of Pakistani, Indian, Arab and African origin have reached higher places in education, health, science and technology. Therefore, as a result of tolerance, coexistence and acceptability, all the American nationals, regardless of their ethnic or religious background, are loyal to the US. On the contrary, most Pakistanis would be loyal to their ethnic and sectarian origins but not to the state.
Many think-tanks in the US have a considerable presence of experts with Muslim backgrounds. Although some of the Muslims question the aims and implications of controversial missionary campaigns like the Joshua Project aimed at converting Muslim ethnic minorities to Christianity, as a whole Muslim families, particularly Pakistanis, in the US feel more secure than any neighbourhood towns or cities in Pakistan.
We need to learn coexistence, respect and tolerance for the others’ opinion, norms and beliefs. This way we can make this country worth living. Otherwise, the prevailing circumstances would lead to unprecedented exodus and can result in a catastrophe impossible to manage.

The writer holds a master’s degree in social sciences and is a professional trainer, researcher and peace activist. He may be contacted at nizambaloch@gmail.com